Fishermen, and private traders with the Indians, now returned to the coast; many of them temporarily or permanently occupying favorable stations on the islands or main land. Among others, Ebenezer Thorndike from Beverly, one of the 20-associates, took possession of a site in the still unbroken forest below the mouth of the Wessa weskeag, and, the following year, 1750, measured off for himself, or took up, as the phrase is, 600 acres of land on both sides of the line between the present towns of South Thomaston and St. George. Here he put up some rude buildings; manufactured salt; carried on the fishery, — catching salmon in the mouth of the Wessaweskeag and drying his nets on the small island, still called, from him, Eben's Island; planted a garden; and occupied his possession at intervals at least, but without removing his family from Cape Elizabeth where he had resided. He was engaged in the Indian trade, and took from the tribe, the same year, 1750, a lease for 99 years, of Matinic Island, which he cultivated as a farm and of which he maintained possession uninterrupted except by the British toward the close of the Revolution. A portion of Matinic is still owned by his descendants. The French and Indian war coming on, his business on the main land was interrupted four years later, but resumed again on the return of peace. In one of his trading excursions up the Penobscot Bay, with his young son, Joshua, on board the small craft in which he traded, a number of moose were discovered on shore; and the party landing to secure some of them, found a young one so small and feeble as to be easily captured and carried on board. This, the boy fed with milk or such substitute for it as he could obtain; till, going ashore with the rest one hot summer's day, and leaving his little pet in the boat with no sails spread, or other shelter from the scorching rays of the sun, to his great grief and surprise he, on his return, found it dead.*

*Hon. George Thorndike, Capt. Joshua Thorndike, Mrs. Martin, &c.

CHAPTER V.

COMMENCEMENT AND INCIDENTS OF THE SIXTH AND LAST INDIAN OR FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.

1751. THE garrison here having now been reduced to sixteen men, with one captain, one sergeant, and an armorer, and considerable alarm having been excited in consequence of the murder of an Indian in an affray at Wiscasset in 1750, Capt. Bradbury petitioned, January 29th, 1751, for an increase of the garrison; and an addition of four effective men was accordingly voted. The Penobscots however remained friendly; and sagamores from that and other eastern tribes met the government commissioners at this place, August 3d, and gave the fullest assurances of amity; at which time the aged Joseph Beane was still here as interpreter.

1752. The Indian traffic being now revived, Capt. Bradbury was, June 3d, chosen truck-master, and so continued till that office and all further trade was broken up by the succeeding war. Some discontent still remaining, a grand conference was proposed to be held at this place; and, in June, six hogsheads of bread and six barrels of pork were sent here for the use of the Indians, if any should come in and await government advices. At length, October 20th, four commissioners were met here by Sagamores from all the eastern tribes except the Mickmacs of Nova Scotia and those of St. Francois in Canada. Col. Louis, a Penobscot chief, in behalf of the rest, expressed his joy at this meeting for the preservation of peace. In order to bury the mischief that is past, he said, we must proceed upon Dummer's treaty, by which the English were to inhabit as far as the salt-water flowed, and the Indians to have the rest. If we are not disturbed in our right, it will end in peace; otherwise “it would set all these lands on fire." He went on to express his approbation of the commander and truck-master, but complained that the prices of goods were higher than at Albany, whither some of their tribe went to traffic; and that too much rum was dealt out to their women and young men, to the former of whom they wished none to be given, and only moderate quantities to the latter. They also requested that a house might be built for them to lodge in, near the mill, a bridge made across the stream there, and a causeway over the long meadow adjacent. The commissioners endeavored to satisfy them on all these points, promising compliance, so far as

practicable, with their requests. Louis also complained that "one Hall and family who live at Matinicus interrupt us in our killing seals and in our fowling; they have no right to be there; the land is our own." Complaints were made by and against some of the other tribes; but, after mutual explanations and promises, all appeared satisfied; and the provisions of Dummer's treaty were solemnly renewed, a salute fired from the guns of the fort and the Province sloop, and three loud huzzas given by both English and Indians. The next day, presents were distributed, belts of wampum delivered, an ox given them for a feast, and they mutually took leave and departed. The ratification was executed under seal and witnessed by 32 persons, among whom were Rev. R. Rutherford, chaplain, Jabez Bradbury, captain, Thomas Fletcher, Jos. Robinson, son of the doctor, Thos. Kilpatrick, and his nephew John Shibles, Benj. Burton, David Kelloch, Moses Robinson, and John Ulmer,-probably the first of that name, his son who afterwards settled in Rockland being at this time but 14 years old.

In January of this year, what was called the New Style was adopted by act of Parliament, extending to all the British dominions; by which eleven days were to be expunged from the calendar, and the 3d of September, 1752, be reckoned the 14th, in order to correspond with the seasons of the year which had gradually got in advance. The beginning of the year was at the same time changed from March 25th to January 1st; and consequently it became necessary in many instances to designate dates by O. S. for old style, N. S. new style.

1753. This year there arrived in the place the somewhat numerous family of Capt. William Watson, one of the emigrants from the North of Ireland, who had been for some time a resident of Falmouth and Scarboro'; where, as commander of a wood-coaster, he became acquainted among other parts of the coast with this river and its maritime advantages. Purchasing the title of a former occupant to the beautiful tract of land which still bears the name of Watson's Point, on the right bank of the George's near the present lower tollbridge, he built a house and removed his family from Scarboro', -landing at this place from his sloop on the 26th of August, 1753. The war coming on, his family probably returned to Scarboro', where and at this place he and his sons continued coasting. After the war, they returned to the Point; on which he and his surviving sons, William and James, commenced and carried on with energy and success

farming, lumbering, and coasting, with other kinds of business, for many years; and the property to a great extent still remains with their posterity.

An Indian conference, similar to that of 1752, was held here, September 20th, so largely attended that the talk was held at a large table in the open air near the fort, where, after mutual explanations and assurances, the treaty was ratified and signed by thirty or more of their chiefs; presents were made them by the commissioners; a dance was performed by the young Indians; and the conference ended by drinking the health of King George, and wishing the peace might continue as long as the sun and moon shall endure."

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1754. Human resolutions, however, are less enduring than the heavenly bodies. Waldo continuing to enlarge his settlements by the Germans at Broad Bay and the Scottish colony now settled at their forest city named Stirling in the present town of Warren,* gave great offence to the ever watchful Tarratines, who regarded them as being above the tide waters so tenaciously insisted on as the limits of the land purchased of Madockawando. This and other causes of complaint were made use of by French agents and missionaries to alienate their minds and encourage new aggressions against their English neighbors. These symptoms of disaffection caused new measures to be adopted for the defence of the frontier. On the 4th of January, 1754, a committee of the House of Representatives reported "that the walls of the truck-house at St. George's River be forthwith repaired, and shingled or clapboarded on the out and inside, as shall be thought best, that there be two good Cohorns with a sufficient number of shott and shells; and that a sufficient number of wheels of Cast iron be procured for the cannon;" adding that for this purpose they "found a considerable number of old guns at St. George's, Richmond, and Castle William." These cohorns were small mortars for throwing shells, and, besides these, a dozen or more of iron cannon were mounted on the fort or on an outwork at the water's edge connected with it by a covered way and completely commanding the river. The body of the fort was about 100 feet square, constructed of the largest sized trees, hewn about twenty inches square, and laid solid about sixteen feet high; with flankers or projections at the angles, and loop-holes for guarding the sides and annoying assailants in flank. This is

*Not Bristol, whither Mr. Sewall has miraculously transferred it, in his "Ancient Dominions of Maine," page 284.

described to have been about 200 feet from the water; and occupied nearly the same situation as the present Knox mansion, but nearer the river. Within, around the sides of this main body of the fort, were the barracks for the soldiers and dwellings for the settlers who now again looked thither for refuge. These were also built of solid timber let into the walls of the fort, twenty feet square, and, some of them at least, two stories high,—each accommodating one or more families. In the centre of the fort was a good well, which afforded an ample supply of water for all within. The outwork at the water's edge and the covered way leading to it, were also of solid timber, with a small wharf in front.

The Block-house before described, at the foot of what is now Wadsworth Street, was also amplified, and consisted of two parallel rows of these dwellings or barracks,- the whole surrounded by a strong palisade, made by driving posts ten feet high into the ground as thick as they could stand together. Besides this, Capt. Thomas Kilpatrick constructed at his own shore, near the head of the Narrows, a similar Block-house, of ample dimensions to accommodate the families of those who chose to put themselves under his command, or were obliged to do so by the militia regulations then in force under which he was now captain. The remains of this stronghold are still to be seen on the land of Capt. Simon M. Shibles about eighty rods from the river. All these were in the present limits of Thomaston, and so situated as to be within sight and to exchange signals with each other. Several others were built; one toward the close of the war on McDowell's hill upon the present farm of Geo. Lermond, now used as a private burying-ground; one at Pleasant Point by Henderson; and one of stone in the present town of Cushing by Capt. Burton, who at the close of the Spanish war had settled there about 1750-1. Being a man of forecast, and not believing the peace would be very lasting, he, in 1753, judiciously and strongly built and fortified his dwellinghouse; which, serving as it did for a place of refuge to the neighbors, and a small garrison being for a while under pay there, acquired the name of the Stone Garrison House or Burton's Fort; - the remains of which, degraded into a hogpen, are still to be seen in or near the spot.

The sixth and last Indian war, which, from the part that the French at first secretly and afterwards openly took in it, is usually denominated the French, or French and Indian, war, having been commenced by an Indian attack on the new fort at Kennebec, the alarm was general; and most of the